Mon, Aug 11, 2003 page20

• Kim Clijsters closes in on top rank after beating Schiavone

  • AP
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  Kim Clijsters is a win away from being No. 1 in the world.

  Clijsters rallied from deficits in both sets to beat No. 16 Francesca Schiavone of Italy 7-5, 6-4 at the JP Morgan Chase Open on Saturday night.

  "Mentally, I felt pretty good at the end of both sets and that's a good feeling to take into your next match," she said.

  If she beats Lindsay Davenport in the final on Sunday, she will replace the injured Serena Williams at No. 1, taking over the top spot for the first time in her career.

  Davenport broke Ai Sugiyama's serve six times in a 6-2, 6-1 victory to reach the final for the seventh time in eight years.

  Clijsters, the top-seeded player, defeated Davenport 6-3, 6-3 last week in the Acura Classic semifinals at Carlsbad, California, to tie their rivalry at six wins apiece. The Belgian is 3-0 on hard courts against Davenport in 2003.

  "I would really like to have a win over someone ranked higher than me," said Davenport, No. 4 in the world.

  Clijsters has reached the semifinals or better in all 13 of her WTA Tour events this year, her most consistent start to a season. Her five titles tie her with countrywoman Justine Henin-Hardenne for most this year.

  "It would be nice if I could win, but I'll have to play my best tennis," Clijsters said. "I'll have to hit a lot of the lines and make her move. That's still the part of the game where she's beatable."

  Little separated Clijsters and Schiavone, who played against the rowdy backdrop of a Los Angeles Galaxy soccer game going on in the stadium across the plaza. Drums banged, horns blew and fans chanted and sang during the nearly 1-hour tennis match.

  "I wish I could be out there watching it," said Clijsters, whose father was Belgium's soccer player of the year in 1988. "The closer to kickoff, it was more noisy."

  Schiavone's 15 winners were just one more than Clijsters, who had 30 unforced errors to the Italian's 31.

  "She's a better player because she's played a lot of semifinals and the big tournaments, like the Grand Slams," Schiavone said. "She can play the important moments better. But I enjoyed being out here."

  Clijsters trailed 3-1 in the first set. She fell behind 4-2 in the second set, then held for 4-3. Schiavone missed two smashes, and a net cord bounced wide as she dropped serve at 4-4. Clijsters served a love game, then won on the second match point when Schiavone netted a backhand.

  "If I wasn't mentally tough, I don't think I'd be in the position where I am now," she said. ``So far, my year has been incredible."

  Davenport won this tournament in 1996, 1998 and 2001, when it was played in Manhattan Beach. The players could have used the cool ocean breezes the beach used to provide -- Saturday's temperature reached the upper 80s and it felt like more than 100 on the stadium court.

  With no mature trees and little shade, the approximately 1,000 fans who watched the first semifinal baked under a relentless sun.

  "It was really hot, the hottest day this week," said Sugiyama, the fourth seed who also lost to Davenport in straight sets in last year's semifinals.

  Sugiyama beat Davenport for the first time in February en route to winning the title at Scottsdale, Arizona.

  "When I played her in Scottsdale, she wasn't in perfect condition. She had a cold," Sugiyama said. "I had never beaten her before so she was maybe taking it easy. This time her concentration was very good."
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